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The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowed out of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) following a defeat at the hands of the Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) on Saturday, May 20. They ended the season seventh on the points table, having won just six out of their 14 games.
Their failure to make it to the playoffs was down to their inability to perform as a collective unit. Initially, they had issues with their opening combination and the poor form of their experienced pacers. Andre Russell's inconsistency and Sunil Narine's struggles did not help their cause either.
Despite their tough run this season, the Knight Riders have a few positives to take back and those will help them move forward as a team.
On that note, here's a look at three positives for KKR from IPL 2023:
#1 The rise of Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh's rise was undoubtedly the biggest positive for KKR in IPL 2023. The 25-year-old from Aligarh showed a glimpse of his talent last year, but he announced himself on the big stage this season.
In 14 games, the southpaw scored 474 runs at a brilliant average of 59.25 and a sensational strike-rate of 149.53. He scored four half-centuries and played numerous innings which left people stunned.
Rinku became an overnight hero after a scintillaing knock of 48* off 21 balls against the Gujarat Titans. He smashed five consecutive sixes in the last over to help KKR win the game. Then, Rinku won a few games for KKR and whilst he was there at the crease, no opposition could breathe easily. Such was his confidence and impact this season.
In Rinku Singh, KKR have a talented player who has a calm head on his shoulders. He has become a sensation this year and will only get better with more experience.
#2 The emergence of domestic quicks
KKR's experienced pacers disappointed KKR this season and was one of the main reasons behind their poor showing. The likes of Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur and Tim Southee did not bowl well, which put a lot of pressure on the spinners. Moreover, Sunil Narine also struggled a bit, which made them one of the weakest bowling sides.
However, towards the back end of the season, they found two youngsters who showed great skill, Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora. Rana played six games this season, picking up five wickets at an economy rate of 8.65 runs per over. Those stats don't do justice to how well he did with his speed and line-length.
Similarly, Arora also showed great promise, picking up five wickets in as many games. He and Rana could be great assets for the Knights in the future.
#3 The young leggie
Another huge positive for the Knight Riders was the bowling of their young leg-spinner, Suyash Sharma. Sharma was signed by KKR after he impressed at the trials. The management felt that he had an X-factor about him and that prompted his selection. However, ahead of IPL 2023, Suyash had no experience of playing domestic cricket. It was a huge gamble but Suyash repaid the faith that KKR showed in him.
He announced himself in his very first game, against RCB, returning figures of 3-30. Overall in IPL 2023, he picked up 10 wickets at a decent economy rate of 8.23. Suyash had an impressive debut season despite being heavily inexperienced. With more exposure, he will only get better and could be a long-term prospect for KKR, especially with Narine in the twilight of his career.
